This Time, A Lullaby
by HecateA
Summary: As Harry struggles to put his youngest child to sleep, help and a song comes from an unexpected—but not altogether foreign—place. Oneshot.


**Author's Note: **Enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **The following characters belong to J.K. Rowling, and this story derives from her original works, storylines, and world. Please do not sue me, I can barely pay tuition.

**Warnings: **N/A

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**Stacked with: **MC4A; Hogwarts; Not Commonwealth

**Individual Challenge(s): **Gryffindor MC; Brush; Summer Vacation; Times to Come; Old Shoes; Themes & Things A (Family); Themes & Things B (Loss); Ethnic & Present; In a Flash; Yellow Ribbon; Yellow Ribbon Redux

**Representation(s):** Chosen by Phoenix

**Bonus Challenge(s): **Most Human Bean; Second Verse (Middle Name); Chorus (Mouth of Babes)

**Tertiary Bonus Challenge(s): **NA

**Word Count:** 943

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_**Hogwarts Submitting Info**_

**House: **Ravenclaw

**Assignment: **Assignment #2, Games Development Task #8, Write about a mentor

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**This Time, A Lullaby **

Harry circled the nursery once more, bobbing the baby up and down.

"Shh," he said, trying to reassure his son. "Shh, you're okay… you're okay, sweetheart, you're okay…"

He'd given Al a bottle and burped him and rocked him for hours, and everything should have been fine. Harry had absolutely no idea what to do now, and the fact that he'd just come home from a twelve-hour-long shift with the Aurors probably wasn't helping him focus on what it was that the baby wanted. It also stressed him out even more and added a sense of urgency to the operation, since Ginny had been alone with the kids all day and Teddy had been over too. He didn't want her to worry and get up if he couldn't get Al to settle down…

He readjusted the baby in his arms and tried rocking him in a different rhythm, singing quietly under his breath to go with it. He made a questionable song choice; it had been Jamie's least favourite lullaby but hey, they were brothers. Maybe their tastes were just as diametrically opposed and this would be it for Al…

Then, all of a sudden, another voice joined Harry's. For a second he thought that maybe Ginny truly had given up on him and come to help—but then he remembered that his wife, despite her many excellent qualities, couldn't sing for the life of her. And more importantly, this was no human voice.

He looked up to the nursery's open window and his jaw definitely dropped when he recognized the great gold and red bird that had perched itself on the sill. Harry stood there, so thunderstruck that it took him a second to register that the phoenix's song was soothing Al. He watched in shock as the wild-haired baby in his arms slowly dozed off.

Harry looked up to the phoenix in the window and examined the angle of its beak and the shape of its crest. He couldn't quite make out its colouring in the dark room, but he didn't really need the extra clue to identify him. The last time he'd seen the bird, it had sung a lament they had all felt deep within themselves before disappearing into the night. Now, it had come back with a lullaby.

_Fascinating creatures, phoenixes, _Dumbledore had once told him.

"Hey," Harry said softly. He stepped towards the window and reached out a hand to run it down the phoenix's plumage. "Where have you been, Fawkes?"

The phoenix cooed in response, and nudged his head into Harry's touch. Harry ran the back of his hand down the phoenix's wing again, and seriously wished he had an answer to his question. Then he remembered something else Dumbledore had told him, even longer ago…

_First of all, Harry, I want to thank you. You must have shown me real loyalty down in the Chamber. Nothing but that could have called Fawkes to you. _

Harry pondered this for a second. Fawkes took one of his fingers in his beak and nibbled down on it, as if urging Harry to stop like Hedwig had done in the past. The bird nudged its graceful head towards the sleeping baby.

"You came to see him, didn't you?" Harry asked. "To see my son?"

Fawkes made a squawking sound, as if in approval. Harry nodded along, and the phoenix looked at him expectantly.

Harry went to sit down in the rocking chair in the corner, and Fawkes came to perch on its arm to examine the baby. Harry brushed a lock of his hair out of his face.

"His name's Albus. Albus Severus Potter," Harry said quietly. "Bit of a mouthful, I know. He's named after people who saved my life, because I want him to grow up knowing just how lucky we are to be alive, because I feel so lucky to have him. But I also wanted to name him after two men who could have done better in so many ways, that way he doesn't feel like he has to live up to anything or anyone. Does that make sense?"

The bird didn't respond, but he did nudge against Harry's arm affectionately—needily, even.

"I'll take that as a yes," Harry said quietly, starting to stroke the bird again. "So you're here for him, then? Will you be back?"

Fawkes made a squawking sound and then flapped his wings. Harry didn't know much about conversing with phoenixes, but this felt quite affirmative.

"Whenever he needs you?" Harry asked. "Whenever he needs… I don't know… not a letter sent, that feels too simple. A friend? Help? A light?"

The phoenix made another sound of approval, and Harry felt profoundly comforted by this. There was something quite beautiful about knowing that he'd raise his son to always keep a window open, to ever feel as alone as he'd once felt.

"That's brilliant," Harry said. "That's… that's more than I could ever have expected. But I suppose you don't have the Dumbledore family to watch over anymore, do you? Have you been waiting for this a long time, Fawkes?"

The bird didn't say anything, but swung its body back and forth. Harry started rocking the chair compliantly.

"I miss him too sometimes, Fawkes," Harry said. "But I think he'd just want us to move swiftly ahead, which is what we've done, I suppose. I'm glad to know that you'll be around, though."

Now that the chair was rocking softly, Harry's eyelids got heavy. Al was warm and soft in his arm; the perfect weight against Harry's chest. And then the phoenix began to sing again, and Harry felt himself fall asleep.


End file.
